September 19
Due to unfavorable winds these days, we decided to visit Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove by car. I haven't driven a car since July in Quebec City.
It felt weird. All the other cars around me, who know where they're going, zipped by. A good thing I have Google Maps and a loving, patient co-pilot.
We were told that there is a very good bakery in Chester, Mahone Bay. So we started there. It took an hour to drive to Chester. During tourist season, I read it's very busy. Walking the narrow streets, visiting the quaint stores and bakeries, I can just imagine all the people milling around the place. There's also a pedestrian ferry going to Big Tancook Island. Apparently, it's a cute and rustic place to visit. There are only 4-5 ferry rides per day.
The bakery, called Chester's, was awesome. The room has many nooks of coffee tables and lounge chairs. The windows are facing South East so the sun lights and warms the whole place. I couldn't resist buying bags of local coffee and Frank pastries, in addition to breakfast sandwiches. Life is good! All the stores have their own cachet and products, worth perusing for sure. One in particular that we loved is Glass Lass. A local artist, assisted by her husband, makes gorgeous pieces made from glass powder. This store is different from other glass stores I've visited in the past. The artist is very creative, using many bright colours. She has a series of pieces inspired by Monet's water lillies. Not only are there bowls and serving plates but also picture frames, Christmas tree decorations, oil/vinaigrette dispensers, utensils, and so much more.
I don't know what I was expecting in Lunenburg. Of course, with all the history and beautiful shoreline, it's worth the drive. But even mid-September, the buses of tourists created line-ups at the maritime museum and all restaurants. We didn't feel it was worth the long waits. We browsed the local stores, bought a few souvenirs for home and had a couple of beers at a pub that only had one kind of beer left from his beer menu. It was a good one though!
We saw a catamaran moored in the bay which we had met in Summerside, PEI. It's always a good feeling to see a boat you know even though you may not have the opportunity to chat up with the owner at the time. This is one of the aspect of sailing South from the East Coast that we like: many times, we chatted with sailors who are making their way to the Caribbean Sea. And, as we follow the same route, but not necessarily stopping at the same ports, we see them again along the way. Or we use our apps (AIS and Nebo) to find their current location. It gives me a feeling of comradeship even though we don't know them very well. I don't feel alone in this adventure.
From Lunenburg, we drove back towards Mahone Bay. Mahone Bay by boat must be really nice because it has so many little islands to anchor by. Away from the heart of Chester, it looks very remote, quiet and beautiful among these islands. By this time, it was late afternoon; the bartender at Lunenburg told us that O My Cod restaurant is his favorite outside Lunenburg. After visiting the museum at Mahone Bay, we dined on their back patio overlooking the bay. Food and service were very good. The fish taco is better at Armdale Restaurant where we're anchored in Halifax though. We had interesting conversation with some of the other patrons.
Before sunset, we visited the memorial of Swiss Air Flight 111 beside Peggy's Cove. You can do the research on details of this crash; briefly due to fire, started in the cockpit ceiling, spread by flammable material (no longer acceptable in plane construction), the plane crashed about 8 kms from Peggy's Cove. All 229 souls perished on September 2, 1998. I silently visualized what might have been the last moments of all the passengers and crew. It's terrible.
